Natural Progesterone for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma

Pilot Study of Subcutaneously Administered Natural Progesterone for the Treatment of Recurrent GBM

This early phase I trial identifies the best dose, possible benefits and/or side effects of natural progesterone in treating patients with glioblastoma that has come back (recurrent). Progesterone is a type of hormone made by the body that plays a role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Progesterone may help control tumor growth and spread in patients with glioblastoma.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Gliosarcoma; Recurrent Glioblastoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Biological: Therapeutic Progesterone

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine that the pharmacokinetics of natural progesterone given to recurrent glioblastoma [GBM] patients by subcutaneous injection is consistent with previous determinations made given subcutaneously using the aqueous formulation of progesterone.

II. To determine the safety of administering daily subcutaneous natural progesterone for the treatment of patients with recurrent GBMs.

III. To determine the rate of stable disease (SD) or better (partial response [PR] or complete response [CR]) at 8 weeks in eligible patients with recurrent GBM treated with daily subcutaneous natural progesterone.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine and compare the progression free survival of eligible patients with recurrent GBM compared with matched historical controls treated with a range of standard therapies.

II. To determine and compare the overall survival of eligible patients with recurrent GBM compared with matched historical controls treated with a range of standard therapies.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine whether progesterone receptor levels within the tumor correlates with response to daily subcutaneous natural progesterone.

II. To determine if other intrinsic tumor factors (mutations and genomic loss/gains) correlates with response to daily subcutaneous natural progesterone.

III. To determine if the absolute values or changes in the level of serum biomarkers correlates with response to daily subcutaneous natural progesterone.

IV. To determine the quality-of-life (QOL) by validated instruments of eligible patients with recurrent GBM treated with daily subcutaneous natural progesterone and assess whether this differs from historical controls.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive progesterone subcutaneously (SC) once daily (QD) for up to 24 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 32
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
      • Recruiting
      • Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute
      • Contact: Agnes G. Harutyunyan; Phone Number: 404-778-2161; Email: agnieszka.anna.harutyunyan@emory.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Hui-Kuo G. Shu, MD, PhD, FASTRO

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients must have pathologic confirmation of a glioblastoma or gliosarcoma diagnosis at initial surgery or second or later surgery
• Patients may have had up to two previous salvage agents administered for treatment of recurrent GBM (may be at 1st, 2nd or 3rd recurrence)
• Patients must be >= 18 years of age
• Patients must be able to have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for disease follow up
• Recurrent GBM must consist of a minimum of 1 cm^3 of contrast enhancing disease on high resolution T1 post-contrast sequence as defined on pre-treatment MRI obtained within 14 days of initiating therapy
• White blood cell (WBC) >= 3,000/uL (=< 14 days prior to registration)
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >= 1,500/uL (=< 14 days prior to registration)
• Platelet count of >= 75,000/uL (=< 14 days prior to registration)
• Hemoglobin >= 9.0 gm/dl (=< 14 days prior to registration) (transfusion is allowed to reach minimum level)
• Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) /alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =< 2.0 x upper limit of normal (UNL) (=< 14 days prior to registration)
• Bilirubin =< 2 x UNL (=< 14 days prior to registration)
• Creatinine =< 1.5 mg/dL (=< 14 days prior to registration)
• Patients must have a life expectancy of >= 12 weeks
• Patients must have a Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) >= 60
• Patients who are women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test documented =< 14 days prior to registration and agree to use adequate barrier contraceptive methods or abstinence for duration of study
• Patients must be able to understand and provide written informed consent
• Both men and women, and members of all races and ethnic groups are eligible for this trial. Subjects will be approximately representative of the demographics of the referral base for the participating institutions
• Patient must not have a known allergy to progesterone
• In females, no active vaginal bleeding
• Patients may not be enrolled on any other therapeutic trial for which they are receiving an anti-tumor therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with pacemakers, aneurysm clips, neurostimulators, cochlear implants, metal in ocular structures, history of being a steel worker, or other incompatible implants which makes MRI safety an issue are excluded
• Patients that have any significant medical illnesses that in the investigator's opinion cannot be adequately controlled with appropriate therapy or would compromise the patient's ability to tolerate this therapy are excluded
• Patients with a history of severe hepatic dysfunction of disease are excluded
• Patients with a history of idiopathic jaundice, severe pruritus and pemphigoid gestationis during pregnancy are excluded
• Patients with a history of breast or genital tract cancer are excluded
• Patients with a history of any other invasive cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer and excluding carcinoma in-situ), unless in complete remission and off all therapy for that disease for >= 3 years, are ineligible
• Patients with an active infection or serious intercurrent medical illness are ineligible
• Patients who received any other in anti-tumor agents (including investigational ones) must be off therapy for 4 weeks prior to initiating progesterone on study
• Patient receiving anti-coagulation therapy are excluded
• Patient with active or recent (within 6 months) thromboembolic disease are excluded
• Patient with current ongoing therapy with estrogen/progesterone (including hormonal contraceptives) are excluded. Would need to stop this form of birth control at least 7 days prior to initiation of therapy to be eligible

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Treatment (progesterone); Patients receive progesterone SC QD for up to 24 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Other: Quality-of-Life Assessment; Ancillary studies; Other Names: Quality of Life Assessment; Other: Questionnaire Administration; Ancillary studies; Biological: Therapeutic Progesterone; Given SC; Other Names: Utrogestan; Progesterone; Cyclogest; Progestin; Corlutina; Corluvite; Corpus luteum hormone; Gestiron; Gestone; Lipo-Lutin; Luteohormone; Lutocyclin; Lutocylin M; Lutogyl; Lutromone; Progestasert; Progestogel; Progestol; Progeston; Prolidon; Proluton; Syngesterone

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Natural progesterone blood levels	This analysis will be performed to determine what plasma drug levels can be achieved in recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) patients with subcutaneous administration of natural progesterone and whether this is in line with what was previously determined in healthy subjects.	On day 1 (0, 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 hours from drug injection) as well as at day 4 and day 8 prior to drug injections
Incidence of adverse events	The safety of this approach will be confirmed by assessing toxicity potentially attributable to the daily progesterone treatment. Toxicity will be determined by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 criteria.	Up to 2 years
Overall response rate	Will be looking for the fraction of patients that are able to maintain at least stable disease.	Up to 2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progression free survival (PFS)	Patients on this study will be followed for PFS. In addition to the 24 weeks PFS, actuarial PFS curves will be assessed and compared to historical controls.	From the time of pre-treatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the time of either radiographic progression or death, whichever occurs first, assessed at 24 weeks
Overall survival (OS)	Patients on this study will be followed for OS. In addition to the 24 weeks OS, actuarial OS curves will be assessed and compared to historical controls.	From the time of pre-treatment MRI to the time of death, assessed at 24 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Progesterone receptor expression levels	Original tumor and any recurrent tumor samples will be assessed for progesterone receptor expression levels by immunohistochemistry and these results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 2 years
Tumor mutational and genomic loss/gain factors	Each of the tumor mutational and genomic loss/gain factors will be scored and these results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 2 years
EORTC Quality-of-life (QOL) Questionnaire Core 30/Brain Cancer Module-20	Serial QOL assessments will be determined in patients and compared with historical cohorts to determine whether there is any difference in patients treated with subcutaneous progesterone for recurrent GBM.	Up to 2 years
YKL-40 biomarker analysis	YKL-40 will be quantitated at the specific time points (pre-treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) with specific levels and changes in levels recorded. These results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 8 weeks
Matrix Meteloproteinase-9 (MMP-9)	Matrix Meteloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) will be quantitated at the specific time points (pre-treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) with specific levels and changes in levels recorded. These results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 8 weeks
Gilal Fibrillary Acidic Protein	Gilal Fibrillary Acidic Protein will be quantitated at the specific time points (pre-treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) with specific levels and changes in levels recorded. These results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 8 weeks
C-Reactive Protein	C-Reactive Protein will be quantitated at the specific time points (pre-treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) with specific levels and changes in levels recorded. These results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 8 weeks
Soluble CD14	Soluble CD14 will be quantitated at the specific time points (pre-treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) with specific levels and changes in levels recorded. These results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 8 weeks
Soluble CD23	Soluble CD23 will be quantitated at the specific time points (pre-treatment, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) with specific levels and changes in levels recorded. These results will be correlated with response assessment to determine whether there is any correlation.	Up to 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Emory University
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hui-Kuo G Shu, MD, PhD, FASTRO, Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 11, 2022
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): August 25, 2024
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 25, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 14, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 12, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): October 25, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 25, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2023
• Last Verified: April 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Neoplasms by Histologic Type; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial; Disease Attributes; Astrocytoma; Glioma; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial; Neuroectodermal Tumors; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue; Glioblastoma; Recurrence; Gliosarcoma; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Hormones; Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists; Progesterone; Progestins
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00002155; P30CA138292 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); NCI-2021-01498 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program)); WINSHIP5184-20 (Other Identifier: Emory University Hospital/Winship Cancer Institute)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No